Goal Oriented: Stop delaying your road to optimal health

Goal Oriented: Stop delaying your road to optimal health

Yesterday I sat in the Toronto airport for over ten hours due to several flight delays. As I sat there I thought about what I wanted to write about this week and how I could tie my long delay and fitness together. What I came up with was five reasons why people continue to delay starting their fitness program. As I have stated in the past, fitness is different for everyone however, I want to provide solutions for people who continue to delay the start of their training program.

Reason No. 1: I don’t have time to get to the gym

This is one of the main complaints I hear from people. I understand and respect that you have a busy schedule but who says that you have to go to the gym. Here is workout that you can do at home with nothing more than your body weight:

Start a timer and do 10 reps of squats followed by 10 push-ups. Rest 30 seconds and repeat this for 5-10 rounds. Every workout does not need to be long. At times I recommend short and intense training sessions over long low intensity sessions.

Reason No. 2: I don’t want to lift weights.

If you have never lifted weights before I can understand how you may be hesitant, however, aside from proper nutrition, lifting weights is one of the best ways to change your overall body composition. Instead of weights start by using resistance bands. Bands are a great way to increase your strength as well as improve your overall stability. Here's a good link to buy bands: https://rbt.infusionsoft.com/go/bd/kevinm/

If you're injured you must see a doctor however, unless you are in a full body cast I don’t see any reason why you cannot train. Here is an example that I will use. Let’s pretend that you have an injured right bicep. Assuming that you still have two legs and your left arm is okay I can think of plenty of exercises for you to do with. In fact, research has shown that if you train the uninjured arm with an exercise (i.e. single arm bench press) that your injured arm will benefit as well. Don’t use the excuse that you are injured. There is always something that you can improve upon (i.e. breathing patterns, rolling patterns, mobility, etc.)

To be honest when I hear this statement from people I just roll my eyes. Are you really ready to just give up? Who says you are too old? Your doctor? Your spouse? Please, give me a break. I have seen people in their 80’s do the Ironman Triathlon so don’t give me the excuse that you are too old. Here is an exercise (Plank) that you can start doing today in order to see some strength gains.

For many people this is a big concern. They are afraid that if they start a training program they will end up hurting themselves. I can see how this would be a concern for many people. The truth is there is always a risk when it comes to training and with the way most people have become sedentary the risk is high. However, if you follow the proper progressions and work with a qualified coach your chances of hurting yourself go down dramatically. For people just starting a training program I would recommend the following steps.

Get medical clearance from your doctor. Hire a qualified coach that can provide either an assessment or a screen. I personally recommend that you work with a coach who is familiar with the Functional Movement Screen before you pick up a weight. I would also seek out the expertise of someone who is familiar with the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI). The purpose of a screen is simply to “red flag” any movements that MAY be potentially dangerous.

Buy a heart rate monitor.

Track your heart rate variability (HRV) with Bioforce HRV. This piece of equipment alone can dramatically reduce your chance of injury. To find out more about this product go to www.8weeksout.com.

After 10+ hours I knew I would eventually get home but the wait was tough to handle. Don’t delay in starting your road to optimal health. Trust me, you will eventually reach your goals, however, you must take the first step forward.

Good luck!

Have a question for Union strength and conditioning coach Kevin Miller? Leave it in the comments below.